Qatar gas facility explosion kills 13 as Ras Laffan restarts operations
State-owned QatarEnergy confirms blast was not sabotage, but production delays and extensive prior damage from regional conflict complicate recovery timelines.
At least 13 people have been killed and 66 injured following an explosion at the Barzan local gas supply facility in the Ras Laffan industrial zone, Qatar. The incident occurred on Sunday night as workers began restarting operations that had been halted for maintenance since December 2025. Qatar’s Interior Ministry has classified the event as a technical accident, while Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi confirmed that the blast was not sabotage or hostile in nature.
The victims have been identified as nationals of India and Pakistan. The Embassy of India in Doha stated it is in constant contact with Qatari authorities and is providing assistance to the families of those affected. QatarEnergy, the state-owned energy company, confirmed that emergency response teams were deployed immediately and that the fire is now under control.
Ras Laffan Port, the world’s largest artificial harbour and a critical hub for global liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, suffered extensive damage from Iranian retaliatory strikes earlier this year during the US-Israel war with Iran. The blast on Sunday was felt across central Doha, more than 70km away, turning the city’s skyline orange and rattling windows in the capital.
Minister al-Kaabi stated that the explosion would not affect the country’s exports, noting there were no environmental risks. However, he acknowledged that it would be difficult to determine when full operations would resume. Production at the facility had been intentionally stopped in December 2025 for urgent maintenance and was only restarted two days prior to the blast.
QatarEnergy reported that repairs to the facility, which was previously damaged in earlier strikes, would reduce output by 12.8 million tons of LNG for three to five years. Qatar had previously halted production in response to the regional conflict, pausing a fifth of the world's LNG supply, with shipments only recently beginning to resume. An investigation into the cause of the accident has been launched.
